History
Recalling the good old days in Stockbridge
by Mary Lou (Shellenbarger) Clifton Old folks, of whom I guess I am one, often throw out the phrase, “the good old days.” But just for a moment, put aside the computer, the smartphone, the iPad. You get the idea. In 1947, my dad accepted a teaching position in the Stockbridge Schools. So my parents, […]
A glance in the rearview mirror: April 1921—Mumps. Prunes. Olives. And women feeling their oats.
by Mary Jo David The following excerpts are from April 1921 editions of the Stockbridge Brief-Sun newspaper. A SELECTION FROM SCHOOL NOTES: “Possibly you have noticed that the school bell taps about five minutes before time for the last bell. This extra exertion on the part of the janitor is to avoid a rush on […]
Tales from our 50-year residents: A Stroll Down Gregory’s Main Street with your host, Gordie Kunzelman
Here I sit looking at two pictures from a quarter century before I was born. Do you ever wonder what it was like walking down Gregory’s Main Street in the early 1900s? Join me as we stroll down memory lane using the two photos that hang in a place of honor in my shop and […]
Donna Stephens, the first female prison corrections officer in Michigan
by Judy Williams What makes a homemaker and mother of five decide to undertake a career as a female corrections officer in a male facility? “Why not?” Donna Kathryn Wilson Stephens is likely reply. In 1969, when her family was mostly grown, Stephens became the State’s first female corrections officer. Stephens was working at the Jackson […]
Fond memories of attending a one-room country school
by Audrey Z. Martini My family moved to the Bunkerhill/Fitchburg/Stockbridge area just before my fifth birthday. Our party-line phone was a Fitchburg exchange, our address was Stockbridge, but we lived in Bunkerhill Township. Three school buses went by our house: one for Stockbridge, another for Dansville and one for the Catholic school. When I was […]
Mother, homemaker, and state prison corrections officer, Donna Stephens has lived it all
by Judy Williams Throughout life, we encounter many people, but few as amazing as Donna Kathryn Wilson Stephens. The experiences of this 94-years-young lady could fill a book. Day One, after her birth in Mercy Hospital, Jackson, Mich. in July 1926, baby Stephens was inadvertently left too long in a hot car when her father […]
Katharine Dexter McCormick: A remarkable Michigan woman…pretty much lost to history
by Chuck Wisman What woman, born near Stockbridge, Mich., was one of the first females to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in science and experienced a lifetime of tragedy? Hint: She was a leading, a national suffragette and proponent for gender equality, wealthy beyond belief, and a generous philanthropist throughout her life. […]
Women’s History Month: Writer and editor Ruth (Camp) Wellman kept community informed for decades
by Tina Cole-Mullins Ruth (Camp) Wellman is a woman who knows the importance of words. For decades, she applied the lessons learned through the example of her mother, Charlotte Camp, to carry on the important work of keeping the local community informed through a newspaper. In fact, you might say Ruth, who grew up in Stockbridge, […]
Growing up in the Stockbridge area: A 1950’s lookback
by Ron Kaiser Stockbridge was a great place to grow up. Perhaps longer-term residents will also remember the places and events below that created lasting childhood memories. One-room McCall School stood on the corner of Leeke Road and Michigan 92 and was torn down when Michigan 52 was constructed. I attended there through the fifth […]
A glance in the rearview mirror: Decembers in years gone by and a special thanks to Genealogical Society
by Mary Jo David Author’s Note: The “Rearview Mirror” columns depend on access to the historical newspaper archives that were previously kept on aging microfilm at the Stockbridge Community Library. To the delight of this author and, it’s safe to say, anyone who requires access to old newspaper articles at the Library, the Ingham County […]